ClarityCheck

Inspiration

In today’s digital world, misinformation and bias are everywhere—making it harder than ever to know what’s trustworthy. We wanted to create a tool that empowers people to read critically, spot bias, and build healthy news habits. The idea for ClarityCheck was born out of a desire to make AI-powered media literacy accessible and effortless for everyone, right where they browse.

What it does

ClarityCheck is a browser extension that analyzes news articles and social media content for credibility, bias, and manipulative language using advanced AI. With a single click, it highlights problematic sections, summarizes findings in a sidebar, and tracks your reading progress. Instead of focusing on negativity, ClarityCheck motivates users with positive encouragements, helping them build a habit of critical reading.

How we built it

ClarityCheck is built as a modern browser extension using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It leverages the Google Gemini API for natural language analysis, extracting the main content of web pages and sending it for AI evaluation. The extension features a floating action button, a custom sidebar panel, and a stats modal—all styled for a clean, user-friendly experience. Usage data is stored locally to protect user privacy.

Challenges we ran into

Content Extraction: Accurately extracting the main article text from a variety of web layouts was challenging and required careful DOM parsing. UI Consistency: Ensuring the stats modal and sidebar panel felt cohesive and modern took multiple design iterations. API Integration: Handling API errors, rate limits, and edge cases (such as missing API keys or empty articles) required robust error handling. User Experience: Balancing informative feedback with positive reinforcement, so users feel motivated rather than discouraged.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Seamless, one-click analysis with instant feedback in the page Intuitive, visually consistent UI that feels like a natural part of any website Privacy-respecting stats tracking, with no personal data ever sent externally Positive reinforcement approach that encourages healthy reading habits

What we learned

The importance of clear, actionable feedback for users—both in design and in the AI’s findings How small UI touches (like encouragements and modern styling) can greatly improve user motivation The value of local storage for privacy and simplicity That empowering users to think critically is more valuable than simply flagging “bad” content

What's next for ClarityCheck

Richer Analysis: Integrate more nuanced AI models and provide deeper explanations for flagged issues. Customization: Allow users to set their own encouragements, track streaks, or reset stats. Mobile Support: Extend ClarityCheck to mobile browsers and additional platforms. Community Features: Enable users to share insights or feedback on articles. Educational Resources: Add tips, guides, and resources to help users further develop their media literacy skills.